Republicans have an incentive to embrace transparency because it will lead to more efficient government and they will have something "new" to campaign on. Frankly, just talking about balanced budgets and tax cuts do not have the same voter impact they have had in the 1980s.

Of course, the losers for the lack of forward-looking ideas are the American people. They put their confidence in government to solve problems at reasonable costs and help improve the quality of their lives. But neither is occurring.

Over the last decade unprecedented technological advances and urbanization created an opportunity for startups to enter the civic realm. But the government sector has largely lagged behind. Now is the time to change that.

Around the world our cities are in desperate need of rejuvenation and transformation. Elected officials are scrambling to equip their cities for the 21st century, talking about creating "open," "networked," and "smart" cities.